Margaret M. Barnes, MD, a 1981 graduate of the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University and a radiation oncologist certified in hospice and palliative care medicine, has chosen the school’s Center for Urban Bioethics as the recipient of a $1 million legacy bequest and a $50,000 donation.
The Center for Urban Bioethics, which was founded 10 years ago, is the only such program in the United States with an urban focus and the only one to offer a master’s degree in Urban Bioethics. Dr. Barnes said its mission to promote health equity, along with the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on minority communities and the Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd, guided her decision.
The funds will help the Center expand its education of medical students and professionals as well as its advocacy initiatives aimed at mitigating racism in medicine.
“We cannot thank Dr. Barnes enough for thinking of the Katz School of Medicine and our Center for Urban Bioethics with this legacy bequest and donation,” said Amy J. Goldberg, MD, FACS, Interim Dean and George S. Peters, MD and Louise C. Peters Chair and Professor of Surgery at the Katz School of Medicine and Surgeon-in-Chief and Senior Vice President of Perioperative Services at Temple University Health System. “There remains a lot of work to be done to create true health equity, and this gift from Dr. Barnes will help ensure current and future generations of health care workers receive the education, training and skills necessary to offer patient-centered care for everyone in the community and to recognize and address assumptions and biases in the profession.”
“This is a significant field of medicine and study in health care delivery,” Dr. Barnes said. “This is a new area of awareness for our larger society and supporting it is something I could do that realistically will translate into major improvements for a very large segment of our population.”
“In a year like no other, this generous gift from Dr. Barnes allows us to advance our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and justice initiatives,” said Nina Weisbord, Chief Advancement Officer for Temple University Health System and Assistant Dean at the Katz School of Medicine. “Dr. Barnes is a true champion for building a just and anti-racist society, and we are privileged to partner with her in this important work.”
After graduation from the Katz School of Medicine, Dr. Barnes completed an internship at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and a residency in radiation oncology at the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health. She served as a clinician, teacher and researcher at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Thomas Jefferson University School of Medicine before joining St. Peter’s Cancer Treatment Center in Helena, Montana. She then practiced as a radiation oncologist at the Cancer Care and Research Center in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, for a decade. Dr. Barnes retired in August 2020 and now lives with her partner, Ardie Dalton, in Grantsville, Utah, near Salt Lake City.